What a savagely epic way to kick off the new year, right?!?!? Moldovan Metalheads Infected Rain begin 2022 with their fifth full-length and a record that will leave fans transfixed by its’ next level heaviness. While I’m going to actively try not to declare anything “ONE OF THE BEST OF 2022” barely a week in…I don’t necessarily see a problem with giving Ecdysis a “MUST HEAR” brand because that’s for sure what it is. And as for the former, check back with me in 6 months, okay?
But I digress.
“Postmortem Pt. 1” is a mission statement and one vicious stomp to open up Infected Rain’s latest in the most potently powerful way possible. There’s so much to digest in this opening salvo as it sways between a dirge to a shredder with operatic movements and Real Thing-style (They of “Send Me An Angel” fame) synths that bring an airy atmosphere to this spaced-put schizophrenia interspersed with swooping vocal passages from Lena Scissorhands.
Get all that? No? Well, you better strap in then because the ride is only going to get bumpier…in the best way possible.
“Fighter” shares the same kind of visceral intensity that Pantera displayed during their height with Scissorhands barking harsher than even Anselmo did at his most extreme while “Longing” is a different kind of heavy for Infected Rain with Vladimir Babici and Eugene Voluta’s rhythmic onslaught creating an ethereal hum as Scissorhands’ playful delivery mixes with a more vitriolic cadence to give the track a fresh yet fucked up dichotomy.
“Goodbye”keeps the ball of Heavy rolling with a glistening growler that’s both brutal and beautiful and then Butcher Babies’ own Heidi Shepherd lends her powerful pipes to “The Realm of Chaos” which is a harrowed and haunting aural journey inspired by a tumultuous 2020. “Everlasting Lethargy” is another about face and a gorgeous sonic statement with “These Walls” entering with a a kind of shimmering bravado punctuated by Voluta, Sergey Babici, and Vadim Ojog’s drum and guitar attacks.
Further in, “Showers” is a powerful pummeler with sizzling shredding perfectly peppered throughout with Scissorhands providing another outstanding performance with a range that goes from angelic to aggro in a heartbeat. Then we get our Electro on with “November” and a hyper futuristic synth intro that’s quickly overrun by Ojog and Babici’s guitar work with “Nine, Ten” bringing some truly next level heavy akin to a hymnal or if Massive Attack went Metal. Lastly, “Postmortem Pt.2” brings Ecdysis to a crashing close by exuding an incessant banging brutality while also balancing an almost bedtime nursery rhyme-type delicateness.
Ecdysis lands on January 7th through Napalm Records. Pre-order yours now in a variety of formats by clicking here and for more on Infected Rain, follow the trail of socials when you head here, here, or here.